David Romo gives a tour of El Paso just north of the Mexican border.
Border Battles

Historian David Romo calls both El Paso and Juárez home. The day after a gunfight in Juárez sent a bullet across the border — into the wall of El Paso City Hall no less — he describes how violence has changed local business in both cities, and his own life.

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Ben Philpott is a senior reporter for KUT-FM, Austin’s National Public Radio affiliate. He has been covering state politics and dozens of other topics for the station since 2002, during which time he...